Trump Says Tesla CEO Elon Musk Is ‘Really Not Leaving’ DOGE and Will Be ‘Back and Forth’

President Donald Trump said Friday that Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk is “really not leaving” his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, and expects Musk is “going to be back and forth” to continue his work.

Trump thanked Musk for his efforts leading DOGE so far in a Friday press conference, after Musk said earlier this week that he would leave the Trump administration and refocus on his companies.

Musk said Friday he expects to “continue to be visiting” Washington and remain a “friend and advisor” to the president after his legally stated term as a “special government employee” has ended.

Musk also said that he continues to believe DOGE will find more ways to cut government spending, and achieve the group’s goal of $1 trillion in cuts by the time the program—which may be extended—is set to end in the middle of 2026.

Shares of Tesla fell about 3% Friday, but posted gains for the week. The electric vehicle maker’s stock has trended higher over the last month since Musk said in Tesla’s latest earnings call that he would scale back his government work starting this month amid calls for the CEO to spend more time at Tesla.